Language: R (21+ swears, 17+ "f"); Mature Content: PG13+; Violence: PG13+
The main guy, Case, was talking about one night stands and had used the f-word 17 times by the time I was halfway chapter 2, and I decided I didn't want to deal with that content. Part of me is still wondering about what's going to happen, though, which is the only reason I gave it two stars instead of one. Good job pulling me in, but it doesn't feel worth it.
The mature content rating is for underage drinking, innuendo, and mentions of sex. The violence rating is for discussion of suicide.

Erin Hahn, across both her YA and adult fiction, is one of my favorites. This book features older teens who are post-high school and figuring out their futures, and their paths are a little less conventional (and very different). Winnie's character is a great blend of tough and sensitive, and she's been forced to step up for her family in ways that are beyond her years, and while Case has led a life of privilege, the illness and death of his best friend has left him adrift. It's an excellent story, great writing, and wonderful characters who act their age.

Cute and sweet. I really enjoyed the growth of Case and Winnie as they overcame grief and. Other struggles to find themselves and what finally learned to live for themsleves.

Case has a charmed life, but is struggling after the loss of his best friend. Winnie finished high school early to raise her two younger siblings and has had to grow up faster than most. The two find comfort and understanding together in this friends-to-lovers tale. This YA read was very sweet, centered around family, and had a beautiful HEA! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy.

ʙ ᴏ ᴏ ᴋ • ʀ ᴇ ᴠ ɪ ᴇ ᴡ

📖 Even If It Breaks Your Heart
✍🏻 @erinhahn_author
⭐️ 5
🫶🏻 ARC #18 of 2024
📚 25/100

🤠 rodeo / golden retriever MMC
💔 young loss / coping
🥹 moments that make you cry
🏡 small town
🤟🏻 he falls first
📖 young adult
🫶🏻 I can do it myself / badass FMC

Winnie Sutton is easy to cheer for. At 19 she’s the oldest in the family and carries ALOT of the financial, emotional, physical and mental weight for her father and two younger siblings. Enter Case Michaels who comes from money. Life is easy. She has a cook, maid and lives his life on his terms.

But when Case’s best friend dies, he is thrown into a downward spiral of anger and hurt….and Winnie could be the one to save him.

Read their love story, and the story of their healing, freedom and watch their dreams come true.

Erin Hahn you are a romance, sweet contemporary, young adult book, literary genius! 🤌🏻

Thank you so so much @erinhahn_author @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC. It was absolutely beautiful 💖🤌🏻🥹

Oh, how I loved Even If It Breaks Your Heart. It's such an incredibly sweet story about two very different people and how horses help them heal and bring them together.

Case Michaels is reeling from the death of his best friend and finds himself working through a list of things Walker wanted to do before he died. It's the only thing keeping him together. While Winnie is doing everything she can to keep her family running, at eighteen years old. She works at Case's family ranch trying to make ends meet, and riding whenever she can.

As a horseback rider, I know what horses can do for the soul. While I wasn't on the rodeo side, bonding with horses is the same across all disciplines. I completely loved both of the characters and watching them both heal, grow, and discover their dreams.

Whether you read YA or not, or like horses or not, this is a very sweet read and I recommend reading it.

Oh gosh, Erin Hahn sure knows how to break your heart and mend it together. 'Even If It Breaks Your Heart' made me tear up quite a few times. This beautiful and tender book is about grief and forging your own path even when everything is up against you. Above all it's also about masculinity and male friendships.

I absolutely adored these Case and Winnie, who slowly develop a sweet and supportive friendship then romance. I really appreciated that this was an instant attraction but developed slowly as they let each other in. Case's grief has left him spiralling, while Winnie, who has had to put her dreams on hold, is struggling to hold her family together after being parentified from age 10. Both are lonely in such heartbreaking ways, but slowly become each other's support systems.

With its well-rounded characters, seamless plotting, this book was raw, poignant and heartfelt with the most tender romance. Erin Hahn masterfully captures Winnie and Chase's emotional journey, that I felt everything they felt along with them, from angry to sad to joy. This is definitely going to be a book I will keep thinking about. I know its only January but I definitely think its going to be a top read of 2024.

Unflinching,

Thanks to St Martin's Press/ Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Definitely check your content warnings, as this one starts from the beginning with quite difficult material with a teenager dying of cancer. He leaves behind a list for his best friend Case. And Case decides to check off each item on Walker's behalf. The final item on the list is to befriend Winnie Sutton, a young woman who works on Case's family ranch.

I found the rodeo aspects of this book so well done. It made me want to learn more about barrel racing, and I enjoyed all of the references to Winnie being a horse girl. I especially appreciated that within this space, the book also wrestles with and questions toxic masculinity, class, and privilege.

I found Case and Winnie and their love so beautiful. Both are on challenging paths, and this book feels so authentic and real. Choose your moment for reading this one. It's a lovely story and had me feeling all the emotions and crying.

This is a YA ranch romance, that to me would appeal to all.

Case and Winnie have grown up in very different circumstances. Case comes from a wealthy family, has basically been given all he could have wanted in life. However, at nineteen he is dealing with some heavy grief after the loss of his beset friend. They competed rodeo together, and Case is struggling to return on his own. Before he passed, Walker left a "bucket list" which case is trying his hardest to complete. On the bottom of the list it mentions make friends with Winnie Sutton.

Winnie works on Case's family ranch training Mab, a feisty horse who only seems to love Winnie. Her mom left and her dad has checked out, so she is raising her teenage brother and younger sister. She struggles to make ends meet and doesn't get to live the life of a person her age.

Case tries to befriend Winnie. Winnie fights him at every turn. I loved that he didn't really push, but didn't give up. And before long she is confiding in him and their friendship is growing. You feel the spark blooming between them. I loved the way Case not only encourages her to follow her dream and try barrel racing, he does what he can to give her the support she needs, both emotionally and in helping with her family, so she can.

My heart broke for Case and how deep he was in his grief. I loved that from beyond Walker knew that Winnie would be what Case needed. They way their share their grief, their struggles and their hopes and dreams, and support each other in following their dreams, even when Case's is not with the rodeo, made for such a great read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oof. This book felt <i>heavy</i> to me in the beginning. I actually wasn't aware that the author referred to it as her "sad cowboy" story, and I am not sure if that would have impacted my decision to pick it up. Let me be clear: I have read and loved this author's work for a while now. When I see her name on any given book, it is almost automatic for me to pick it up. I love the writing style, I love the character depth, I love the way she leaves my heart so happy.

I just need to be a little more selective about storylines. <i>Heavy</i> storylines trigger my fight or flight instincts. I almost bailed on this book a couple of times. It seemed like it was moving so slowly, and like I was stuck in this sad, dark, heavy space. I did love the way Winnie and Case were progressing. I did love their banter and the slow, sweet way their relationship morphed from antagonistic, to friends, to more. The depth and layering and complexity was there - and those are all things I love as I feel like they bring me deeper into the story and really make me <i>feel</i> it.

It's just that life is heavy enough without me carrying the heaviness of a book. So, it was a tough sell for me for probably the first half of the book. The payoff was worth it. Case and Winnie were absolute rockstar main characters. The way their characters grew and matured and essentially rose from the ashes - it was a lovely thing to witness. I adored their relationship from start to finish. I adored the way they cared for each other and lifted each other up. I loved everything about them as a couple and I am really so glad I did stick with the story. It was worth it in the end. The payoff is there, I promise. But if you, like me, are a little skittish about "sad" or "heavy" storylines, just be aware that it takes a bit to get to it.

In the end, I will still pick up almost any Erin Hahn book that crosses my path. I am still in love with the writing, and the storytelling, and the way she leaves my heart so happy. I <i>am</i> glad I stuck with this sad cowboy and definitely think the bruises on my heart were worth getting to see the amazing transformation. It wasn't a perfect reading experience for me, but I would absolutely do it again. ~ Shelly, 3.5 Stars

Similar to other reviewers, I am withholding my review of books by St Martins Press and their imprints until they comply with the demands of the SMP boycott. At that time, I am happy to post the review

I am withholding my review of books by St Martins Press and their imprints until they comply with the demands of the SMP boycott. At that time, I am happy to post the review.

This was an adorable YA novel with the best happily ever after. This book had all the feels from making me tear up, to laughing out loud, to even swooning, this is an incredible young adult read!

3 1/2 stars

This was a cute ya book with a happy ending. I liked both of the main characters, but my favorite character was Queen Mab and Walker. Loved those 2! This is my second book from Erin. She's not writing Shakespeare but I do love her books.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an audio for my honest opinion.

This book has everything in it that I would want for a young adult romance book. This book had me laughing, I did get a little teary eyed in parts of the book, it had me saying aw, and honestly this book hit all the feels in all the right way.

Erin Hahn brought us a book that everyone will love. The plot was great, it had the perfect pace, all the ups and downs were right where they were supposed to be, and I didn’t see any slow, boring moments in the book. This author knows how to pull you in and keep you engaged throughout the book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters better and seeing the plot come to an end, and I loved that this author handled the heavy topics in this book. It was done with class and grace, the heavy topics are the following: childhood cancer, loss, grief, parental abandonment, and growing up too soon.

You will also see some great topics as well: growing up, learning to love oneself, doing what is important to you, love, and forgiveness. Case and Winnie are great characters. Case is a young adult who just lost his childhood friend and is trying to come to terms with his loss and having to learn how to deal with life without him around. You will watch him go through the hardships and then you will be there to watch him pick himself back up and start living life again. Winnie is a young adult who had to grow up too fast after having her mother leave and her father who doesn’t know how to parent. She has taken the role of sister and mother to heart and makes sure that her siblings don’t go without. She is the responsible one in the group and didn’t think she would ever have the chance to pursue her own dreams of racing or love.

I really enjoyed this slow burn romance that starts off as friends, and blooms into something more. They share their problems with each other, bounce off ideas and help each other overcome issues or problems that are stopping them from being who they truly want to be. I want to say more but I don’t want to spoil the book, so instead if you love rodeo riders, cowboys, romance, and some heavy topics done in a tasteful manner you need to read this book.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Winnie and Case have been going through it. Winnie is a defacto parent to her younger siblings, and Case is dealing with the death of his best friend. They end up finding each other through the prompting of a bucket list and, even though they're very different, they realize that they can be there for each other as equal partners chasing dreams that they didn't think were possible.

Erin writes characters that you care about and want to give a big ol' hug to. I will read anything Erin writes. 💙

Slow burn, friends to lovers, YA, off page (discussed) romance

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

When the author describes this as their sad cowboy book, you better believe it!

This book is definitely about grief, but it’s also about chasing those dreams you didn’t even know you had. Finding a way to trust others against everything else, and listening to your heart.

The growth of these characters was absolutely phenomenal, and the way they showed their maturity (after some needed growth for Case) in how they handled the world was incredible. This book deals a lot of grief and I was exceptionally grateful that there was no relationship angst and drama between Case and Winnie. They became the most stable thing for each other. And I adored it.

This book was very hard hitting and deep. The characters were very much ones that you felt for. Unfortunately reading this book made me personally uncomfortable. But it was still well written.

First, thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Second, if this indeed is Erin Hahn's last YA, as she says it is, what a book to go out on! This was so swoony and delightful. It took me a couple of weeks to read, not because I didn't want to keep reading, but because I just wanted to savor its sweetness and slow-burn romance. I could have read the whole thing in a day, but it was just too cute.

I loved the main characters. Winnie was flawed and smart and hilarious. Case was a dreamboat with actual substance. The supporting cast was excellent, with the siblings, ghost bffs, and everyone on the ranch.

I predict this will be a reread for me, on days when I need something comforting. I suspect it may get upped to a 5 star review on reread too...

I’ve really enjoyed Hahn’s adult books, but haven’t read any of her YA novels. I will definitely be doing a deep dive! This was so swoony and sweet, while also handling difficult topics with care. I loved Garrett and her relationship with both Winnie and Case. My only wish was for more scenes with Win and Case once they were together.